Connections Company

Application Pack

Contents

Pages 2 – 3 Connections Company Information

Page 4Connections Dates

Page 5Connections Registration Form

24 October 2018

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Thank you for expressing an interest in the Youth Theatre Connections Company at Warwick Arts Centre. This letter should give you all you need to understand what it means to be a member of the Connections Company.

After you have read all the info (apologies for the length but it’s worth knowing what the commitment entails) please fill in the registration formand return to me. Existing members will receive priority booking but please note we have limited space and will allocate spaces on a first come first served basis.

About Warwick Arts Centre’s Connections Company

You can find out everything about this project, running with around 500 youth theatres across the country, on the National Theatre website: but in a nutshell it is:

  • 10 plays have been written for this project by professional playwrights, specifically for young people to perform.
  • You will work as a group on staging one of these plays and it will be performed in March at your ‘home’ venue (Warwick Arts Centre)
  • A Connections Director will come and watch this performance and you will be given feedback on your production as a whole and any specific things they feel you’ll need to do to get it ready for the festival performance.
  • You will then continue to rehearse it ready for performance in either our Theatre or Studio during the Warwick Arts Centre Connections Festivalin April 2018. A number of other youth theatre companies from around the Midlands will also take part that weekend, and as well as performing,you’ll all get the opportunity to see each other perform and take part in free workshops and talks.
  • Out of the many companies that perform across the whole of the UK, one production of each of the plays will be selected to be performed at the National Theatre’s Connection Festival in July 2018 at the National Theatre in London.

As you can see, it is quite a commitment to make in order to create a really high quality performance, and if you choose to join us I hope you will understand the need for regular attendance at sessions and a passion for being part of this group. As with every year we will need everyone to commit through until the performances in April and be available for performance in July, should your production be one of the final 10 selected for presentation at the National Theatre.

The group will regularly meet on a Monday evening between 7.00pm and 9.00pm throughout the Autumn, Spring/Summer Terms and there will besome additional longer sessions at the weekends to give you more time to work together on the play (dates below). Sessions will take place in the Oculus, across the road from the Arts Centre or in the Humanities Studio. Meeting for the first session of the term will take place in the café area of the Arts Centre, where we will go through a short introduction for new members and then walk to the relevant building.

In order to help people take part in Connections, we are striving to keep the fees as similar as possible to the previous couple of years and this year will see a small increase to £75 per term. The fees will be payable in September and again in January, and will cover everything through to the end of Connections. The fees go towards leader’s fees, resources, participation in the Connections programme and membership of national youth theatre organisations. This year we will be taking payment through the box office, once you have registered we will send you information about how to pay.

During the year, there will also be the opportunity to see professional performances at the Arts Centre, for your enjoyment and to help stimulate ideas for your own production.These shows will be an additional cost, but we always get you the lowest price ticket we can.

We are looking forward to another very exciting year for the Warwick Arts Centre Connections Company so if you wish to join, please get in touch and if you have any questions about the Connections Company or the NT Connections Festival as a whole please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us in the Creative Learning Department by phone or e-mail.

Best wishes

Lynsey

Lynsey Cullen

Creative LearningCoordinator

Warwick Arts Centre

Email:

Phone: 024 7615 1793

Warwick Arts Centre Connections Company

2017-2018 Dates

Autumn Term

Date / Time / Session/Room
Monday 4 September / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / First session and choose script
Monday 11 September / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 18 September / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 25 September / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 2 October / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 9 October / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 16 October / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
HALF TERM / NO SESSION / NO SESSION
Monday 30 October / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 6 November / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 13 November / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 20 November / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 27 November / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
Monday 4 December / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular session
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS / NO SESSION / NO SESSION

Spring & Summer Terms

Date / Time / Session/Room
Monday 8 January / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Sunday 14 January / 10.00am – 4.00pm / Longer Sunday rehearsal
Monday 15 January / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Monday 22 January / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Sunday 28 January / 10.00am – 4.00pm / Longer Sunday rehearsal
Monday 29 January / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Monday 5 February / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Monday 12 February / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
HALF TERM / NO SESSION / NO SESSION
Monday 26 February / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Monday 5 March / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Sunday 11 March / 10.00am – 4.00pm / Longer Sunday rehearsal
Monday 12 March / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
Saturday 17March / All Day (as required) / HOME PERFORMANCE
EASTER HOLIDAYS / NO SESSIONS / NO SESSIONS
Monday 16 April / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Working on feedback from Connections Director
Sunday 22 April / 10.00am – 4.00pm / Longer Sunday rehearsal
Monday 23 April / 7.00pm – 9.00pm / Regular Session
(Poss Friday 27 eve)
Sat 28 & Sun 29 April / All Day / CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL at WAC (you will perform once over the weekend but will be here throughout as part of the festival)

WARWICK ARTS CENTRE CONNECTIONS COMPANY REGISTRATION FORM

PERSONAL DETAILS
Parent Name:
Phone:
Email:
Address:
Child’s name:
Child's DOB:
I can confirm my child would like to become a member of the Connections Company for 2017/18 and that I agree to pay the cost of £75 via Box Office at the start of each new term they attend.
Signed:
EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS
Name:
Relationship to Child:
Mobile:
Email:
Medical Conditions:
(Please give details of any medical conditions / allergies or other information we should be aware of when supervising your child)
Please also ensure to bring/send any medicines etc. that your child would normally take!
PHOTOGRAPH/FILM CONSENT
As Parent or guardian of / (child's name)
I / (adults name)
AGREE / DO NOT AGREE(delete as appropriate) to allow film footage and photographs to be taken of my child during their time with Warwick Arts Centre Connections Company.
I understand that photographs and films will be used anonymously for documentation of the work and may be used in brochures, newsletters, season diaries and on the Warwick Arts Centre and third party websites as well as social media, in the marketing and promotion of the Warwick Arts Centre’s Creative Learning Department. I understand Warwick Arts Centre has final usage rights.
SIGNED:
DATE: